2022: It Was a Year for the Ages with Narnia's Faves - Part 1 of 2

 

Hello and welcome to Narnia Dispatches if you found yourself here for whatever reason!  It is December 31 and so of course, we wanted to send our thanks for any visit you may have made here in 2022.  Hopefully whatever you read was either very enjoyable or at least caused for some pondering and contemplation.  

What a year though, huh?  Full of challenges everywhere.  Kudos to you for meeting some of those challenges and still finding time to enjoy the important or fluff moments in life with family, friends and online mutuals.  

We thought we would hand out some awards for 2022, with a few of them being the end-all, be-all highlight of the year, many accolades are in fun so don't get too twisted over a few of the acknowledgments. 😇

 

• The Creativity Flex Award for 2022 goes to who else but Mr. Zayn Malik!!  Zayn made a huge surprise splash earlier in the year with his Paynt collection.  In May, he gave a teaser and right away, fans could spot his Liam shout-outs with the can't-miss "L" and the clever variant spelling of Paint = Paynt (i.e., Payne).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He really had some brilliant, colorful and artistic merchandise and there was no better model than himself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inspired and expressive.  Zayn shows us the creativity that lives within him and the love that helped fuel it.   

 

• The Steam Engine That Could Concert Tour Award for 2022 belongs to Louis Tomlinson.   For someone who has struggled to get any assistance from his team for promotion, Louis took to the road in 2022 and smartly played to smaller venues with tickets scarce to be had.  At some stops, a second show was even added.  The crowds were wildly enthusiastic, brimming with fun and participant-engaging projects which were noted by their inclusiveness.  Louis waved, signed, and talked to fans all along the way.  Without a doubt, he was a steamrolling, vibrant engine. Someone to be reckoned with.

 

Building on the momentum of his first tour, fan support for Faith in the Future has been incredible as well, helping to catapult Louis to the Number 1 spot on Britain's Billboard Chart, triumphing over Bruce Springsteen for the honor.  A really spectacular feat.

 

• The Golden Mic Award for 2022 results in a tie because we have two Narnia faves with very successful podcasts this past year - actor/singer Kevin McHale and KC Chiefs All-Pro, Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce.  

For Kevin McHale and former co-star Jenna Ushkowitz, who co-host "And That's What You REALLY Missed" together, this is their third podcast together, as in 2020, they had started one called Showmance and it evolved into a second production called Showmance: The Show Re-Cap which was more Glee oriented [source].  The podcast is an opportunity for both stars to share their first-hand experiences and feelings from the show and share with many new viewers who are watching for the first time.

The podcast can be heard on iHeartRadio here.

Our other Golden Mic Award winner is Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce who began a podcast with his brother, Philadelphia Eagles' center Jason Kelce this year.  Not surprisingly, these two have the number 1 sports podcast on Apple and Spotify, while their show was named the sports podcast of the year by Sports Illustrated.  It's been a fantastic study in sibling dynamics and also lent some insight into more of Travis's personality.  And while we knew that Travis has superb potential for a successful career in the entertainment industry, we didn't know as much about his brother.  One of the highlights was watching the episode with Patrick Mahomes as a guest.  Here's a clip from this past week's episode where the two men talk about "nature's thermostat".   Kudos to both Travis (and Jason!) and Kevin McHale for venturing and working the podcast format. It can't be easy to maintain the flow of a conversation, keep the show on its agenda, and also speak your mind, yet don't speak all that's on your mind, if you know what I mean, ha!  I tip my cap to these two men.

 

 

• The Busy Bee Award for 2022 goes to...Austin Nichols!  Austin has refined the art of looking busy.  Now, he did direct two episodes of Walker, Jared Padalecki's show on the CW network, one for season 2, the other for season 3.  He filmed three (3) episodes of Minx, a show on HBO Max.  And at some point, filmed a two-person movie called Match and released an audiobook.  More often than not however, Austin was seen with his new sidekick, Otis, a blue heeler and quite possibly the Gyllynichols family furiend, often on or near water.

Now, Narnia isn't work-shaming Austin, by any means. There very likely is a method to the boogie board, best-dog Otis madness.  Austin works just enough to appear like he's steadily working, when in reality, he's doing short gigs accompanied by extended social media coverage while behind-the-scenes, he's really spending more time helping to mind the Gyllynichols household.  And watching a family the size of theirs?  Is seriously hard work.  

 

 

•  Perhaps Austin can share his Busy Bee Award with Jensen Ackles.  Jensen was pretty busy filming guest episodes of The Boys (HBO Max) and Big Sky.  He also directed an episode of his partner Jared's show Walker, produced The Winchesters and recently held his first concert along with Steve Carlson in Nashville, TN.  

Here's Jensen as Beau on Big Sky,

 

Please continue this parade of Narnia stars right here in Pt. 2!

pic sources:  becauseofthebowties, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Billboard, gfycat, tenor

our playlist:  Step by Step - Whitney Houston

                     Best Song Ever (Live from San Siro Stadium) - One Direction

                     Freedom! '90 - George Michael

                     The Best - Tina Turner

                     I'm Alive - Electric Light Orchestra

                     Celebration - Kool and the Gang

                     Dancing on the Ceiling - Lionel Ritchie

                     Christmas Auld Lang Syne - Bobby Darin

                     What Are You Doing New Year's Eve - The Carpenters

Sunday Musings: Jake Gyllenhaal, Austin Nichols and Liam Payne Are Prairie Dog Puppers

 

September greetings to everyone,

 

Just a few items of note that we wanted to mention in this early September, as we observe our pools closing and a return to hectic school activity schedules.  And 'lo and behold, that means one of Narnia's faves has popped out of his annual summer rabbit hole.

• Jake appeared on Friday night at the D23 Expo 2022, held at the Anaheim Convention Center.  He was promoting his upcoming Disney animated movie, Strange World.   He will play a father by the name of Searcher Clade and his family are explorers.  The movie will release in theaters on Wednesday, November 23 (day before Thanksgiving).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this interview Jake awkwardly tells Access Hollywood how he didn't have time to socialize or keep up with co-star Dennis Quaid, in either The Day After Tomorrow or Strange World (even though the second is as voice actors).  But we know why he didn't even probably ever say boo! to Dennis Quaid during The Day After Tomorrow because he was too busy chasing around Austin!  LOL!  After all, that was the movie where the two hubbers were in the first year throes of their courtship and were no doubt, oblivious to how they were nauseating everyone around them.  😂😂 Most of us have been there at one time or another, eh??  😍😍😍   Poor co-stars! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the clip as well embedded:

 

he’s so funny i love you jake pic.twitter.com/EJJVQ7CLvD

— jade (@mysterih0e) September 10, 2022

 

Great to see the guy survived another family vacation, isn't it?  😉

 

• And then we have Austin Nichols, who shocked the house late this past week by appearing out of nowhere to announce the grand opening of a new start up eating establishment, ATX Tacos.  Sounds like they've been trying to get off the ground since 2018, but like so many businesses, COVID has had its say in that.  They're available to order through Grub Hub and Door Dash for now, hoping to be open for indoor dining by the end of the year.

 

  

Everyone in comments is congratulating him and since he's "proud" to tweet about the opening, might we assume he must be an investor???  Come on, Austin, spill the deets!

• August 24 was Austin P. MacKenzie's birthday!  Here is a photo from the deck that Kevin posted to wish his guy all his best and love.  It's so wonderful to see that these two are as strong as ever.

• And look who popped up Saturday, Sept 10?   Mr. Liam James Payne.  There were three (3) different sightings and this tweeter isolated him from all three photos.  Location?  South Carolina.   Sounds like a place with lots of discreet possibilities for him and Zayn! 😉

And while it is FANTASTIC!!! to see him, we at Narnia cannot help wondering....

Why now?  As long as these five men of 1D are still tethered together (I don't care by how few strings; they still are, it cannot be denied, much as some solo's don't wish it to be), timing continues to be everything.  

• September recipe!  Because I am all about pumpkin anything and everything, I can't resist sharing this tweet.  Haven't tried baking this bread yet, but check this out.  I mean, just look at this!  🎃

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Bread".   If you want to check it out, the link is here.   I haven't tried it yet, but plan to.  My favorite recipe for pumpkin bread is Betty Crocker's because it has raisins and walnuts added to it.  Hands down favorite. But alot of folks don't like raisins.  This one looks pretty good.  #dyinghere  😋

• Today, Harry's movie My Policeman will show at the Toronto Film Festival.  The preliminary word is looking excellent and we only hope that this film changes lives and negative thoughts for the better.  That it helps remind Americans that this fall's elections are very, very important so that we don't digress backwards with how we could possibly take away rights from those who are in the LGBTQ+ community.  The timing of the movie's release is extra advantageous.

Good luck to Harry and the entire cast/crew of My Policeman today at TIFF.

pic sources:  headlikeanorange, Just Jared

our playlist:  Pop Muzik - m

                     Pop a Top - Alan Jackson

                     Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton

Good News Friday: That's Captain Liam Payne to All of Us

 

Congratulations on making it to Friday!  Hopefully your work week ends right here and doesn't extend into Saturday.  Time for some relaxation or yard work, getting ready for spring growth.  And to go along with that #FridayFeeling, there are some good things happening with a few of Narnia's faves.  Let's enjoy sightings or news from them:

 

•  Liam is in Los Angeles, attending one of the events surrounding Oscar week as a co-host along with Paul Wesley, Uma Thurman, Sean O'Sullivan, Questlove, and Christian Angermayer for an event called Taste the Future.  The event will feature a menu by chef, author and restaurateur Matthew Kenney, who specializes in plant-based foods.  So Liam had an opportunity to schmooze, network and have some fun meeting new folks during Oscar week.  Good for Liam and he was looking great!  

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Always the consummate pro and enthusiast!

 

 

Liam Payne 🛐

pic.twitter.com/ZbelpqPbAT

— :) (@tommoloueh1D) March 25, 2022

 

 

There can never be enough Liam love.  We see the micro-handling he's still under and being unable to release new music.  But Liam's not a public pouter and whatever he does, he is a professional and he gives a tremendous, enthusiastic effort.  It can't have been easy for him, but Narnia is just here to support and say that we think that he is an incredible person for the way he's been handling it.  

And a chance to hang at Oscars week?!  That is awesome.  Now, here is another honor for Liam.  

He is going to serve as captain for the England team in Soccer Aid 2022, which benefits a tremendous organization, UNICEF UK.  The charity celebrity match will take place on June 12 at London Stadium and there is some additional information here.  

Here's Liam:

He's here and he's perfect 💙 @LiamPayne, skipper. ©️

Will he lead England to victory? 🤔 #SoccerAid // @UNICEF_uk pic.twitter.com/etLRwwQYBz

— Soccer Aid (@socceraid) March 23, 2022

 

 And if THAT's not enough, here's Liam with a soccer uni preview!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's that Liam smile that will charm the socks off of the crustiest being:

 

 

The reaction is unanimous and automatic.

 

Take a bow, Captain Liam!  That's CAPTAIN Liam to all of us.  And good luck in the soccer match!

 

• And Jake Gyllenhaal is hard at work (as he always goes all out for his movie promos!) overseas, promoting his upcoming film Ambulance.  They have spent a lot of money advertising it for sure, particularly during the Super Bowl and Olympics.   It's an action flick so for all of you action lovers, there you go!  😀  Jake's been sporting all kinds of different looks and he and his castmates/director have been to Paris, France, Berlin, London and Madrid this week.  

The Gyllynichols wagon train may be on the barge by now headed over to the States as Jake is scheduled to be a presenter on Sunday at the Oscars and will then be promoting the film here in the States due to its release on April 8.  

We'll enjoy all of the promo and photos (and there has been a TON of content) from across the pond because once this weekend comes and they hit the American male demographic, things will likely change in some fashion and not for the better.

But this is Good News Friday! so let's start off the slide show with Jake in a bird shirt!  Nice to see Jake pick up this vintage shout out pattern he used to have, as a nod to Austin, who has loved birds and back in 2009, told Hilarie Burton that the (sea) gull was his "power animal".

Real quick, let's look at a few vintage bird looks from Fetus Jake:

And now here's Jake in 2022 in Prada bird mode:

Jake in Paris for Ambulance 2022

 

It counts!  Add that one to the exhibition. 💯

Jake has sported a variety of looks for the promo tour.  This pose below is one of my favorites, I think, I've seen from him.  He's got that scolding finger down, doesn't he?   LOL!

Ambulance stop in Paris, France

Jake, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Eiza Gonzalez in Berlin

 

I still don't think you can beat Jake in the classic suit.

Jake and Yahya on El Homiguero in Spain

Best wishes to Jake for box office success with his new film!!

• And we're going to end on an even more happier, positive note.  We have new music from Austin P. McKenzie!!  This is an easy, melodic tune, although the lyrics are of wanting to whisk someone away to happiness, so a bit sad in lyrics.  But again, it is directed by Kevin McHale and I love the filming at the ocean, the slow-mo, the playfulness and most of all, a glimpse of that gorgeous smile he has.  That was so wonderful to see.  Lilting melody and imagery.  You can see Austin's appreciation and love of theater.

Well done!!  "Sending My Love Through the Ether" by Austin P. McKenzie, everyone!!

Have a great weekend, everyone!  We're out.

pic sources:  IHeart Jake

our playlist:  Sending My Love Through the Ether - Austin P. McKenzie

                     For You - Captain Liam Payne and Rita Ora

                     Summer of Love - Austin P. McKenzie

                     Midnight - Alesso featuring (Captain) Liam Payne

Narnia's Poisson Spots of 2021: What will 2022 Hold?

 

 

lol.   Nah, it isn't as bad as all that!  Forget everything else right now and let's remember the good things that happened with many of our favorite guys in 2021, okay?  Because I bet you'll see that there were more than you realized.  😉  And these moments are always fun to re-visit.

 

•  The growth of Louis Tomlinson's fanbase, this despite a total lack of promotion and assistance by his former team and an ongoing pandemic.  Twitter account @secretwxlls made the excellent comparative screenshots, showing the tremendous increase in his twitter footprint between 2020 to 2021.

from January 02, 2020

from January 01, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Kansas City Chiefs' seven-time Pro Bowl selection, Travis Kelce was nominated for the team's Walter Payton Man of the Year award which honors on and off the field excellence.  The fans can participate in the WPMOY Challenge, which will win $25K to the player who garners the most votes via fans voting on twitter.  And Travis was the winner of the Challenge.  He didn't win the grand prize at the NFL Honors, but to beat out the other 31 players in fan votes is a really great honor in itself.

• Louis's just like us.  Remember when he shared with everyone he had had his wisdom teeth pulled?  The tweet is followed by one particular response that had me 😂😂

• We had Austin working on filming or showing on the screen this past year.  He had a recurring guest stint on Jared's show, Walker Texas Ranger and also appeared in a film called Masquerade, which was released in July.  We also know that he's working in a project that will show in HBO because we've seen an on-set photo.  

for Masquerade

and the set photo for HBO's Minx,

 

 

• 2021 saw Zayn Malik able to break apart from the Hadid family and although it couldn't come without melodrama and false domestic accusations, Zayn's incredible, faithful fandom made the event more of a black eye on the accusers than on Zayn himself.  He also is no longer with his record label and management company.  Narnia says "Good Riddance".  Things are quiet right now on the Zayn front, but we say that's okay.  We'll wait patiently and watch for what will hopefully be true and positive news for his future. 

• Liam Payne had some notable successes in 2021, huge credit to him in accomplishing this while working around Sony Music's minefield.  We know that Liam is not a man who can sit still and this is why we're so excited for what lies ahead in his future.  Whatever that is, we're here for it.  But this is about 2021 and Liam had his first soundtrack single!  The song was "Sunshine" and debuted for the Disney film, Ron Gone Wrong.  That's a feather in one's cap.  The song has hit over 9 million streams on Spotify and something even more impressive, is that listeners have streamed from his music catalog over two (2) billion times.  That's mind blowing!

I know, I know!  We're so proud of this guy.  

 

• We've known for quite a few years now that Jared Padalecki's public life is one that is rife with narratives, so it was rewarding to see him able to sneak in an allusion that he is way more than a beanie and a head pat.  Way.  More.  2021 brought us this intriguing quote from Jared regarding what he enjoys now in his career.

"I don't want to direct, I want to produce.  That's kind of the way my brain works.  I would rather put together the Legos than have the finished piece.  I read instruction booklets.  I love the engineering, puzzle aspect of it.  I'd rather try and figure out the answer than know the answer." - 'Jared Padalecki Previews Walker Season 2: We Hit the Ground Running', EW, October 28, 2021.

 

It's hard to argue who has had a rougher year as far as mistreatment or public malignment by their own management team or record label.  In Jared's case, without knowing contract details, it's still fair to say, for anyone to agree to help shuffle the cards he's been dealt to put up with, stemming from the entire Collins/Jensen Ackles/Destiel/Cockles/Jenmish production in 2021, and we are talking to not only Misha Collins and Jared's own RL partner, Jensen Ackles, but the whole rest of the Supernatural crew and Jensen's beard, there was no photo from 2021 that was more pleasing than this one.  

I'll just say "Knock their heads together but good, Jared."

 

😂😂😂😂  LOL!   That?  That could not have been more perfect.  [Photo was courtesy of Melissa Fudge Photography via twitter, and who has mysteriously and officially been a highly visible photographer for this year's conventions]

• Austin P. McKenzie released two singles in 2021, "I'm Not Ready to Go" released in August and "Summer of Love", which was released in April.  The videos for both were imaginative and entertaining, plus directed (or co-directed) by Kevin.   

And Kevin McHale had a guest stint on American Horror Stories on FX in 2021 and we would love to see him get more opportunities because he is so talented (and PG doesn't handle horror too well lol).  In this interview with Dennis Miller on the podcast, Dennis Miller +One, Kevin talks about the guest appearance, and Kevin, while he says he has "terrible nerves", I would never guess this.  He seems totally chill and at ease when giving an interview.  And I LOVE Dennis Miller bringing up the subject of Broadway as a possibility for Kevin.   Why not?  I bet it'd be so fun!

What I like about Kevin (as well as Austin because they are so visible as a pair) is he is such a supportive person.  He has so many friends and shows so many fun videos.  Narnia loves this Dec 18 photo of Kevin and Austin.  We wish them continued happiness, good health and new exciting adventures.

Kevin and Austin, NYC, December 18 2021

•  Besides grossing nearly $95 million by headlining one of the most successful indoor arena concert tours in 2021, Harry Styles, the actor, was also cast in the role of Tom Burgess in My Policeman opposite his cinematic love interest Patrick Hazlewood, played by David Dawson. The plot focuses on the tragic love story between two men, set in 1950's Brighton, England, when being gay was not only condemned, but a criminal offense. If accused and charged, a same sex relationship/encounter could easily result in life altering consequences, with as many as 1,000 men incarcerated each year in Britain's prisons. We here at Narnia are looking forward to not only how this movie will be marketed, given Harry’s closet, but Harry’s performance as well. He is a talented young man and we hope Harry will be allowed to authentically shine as only he can do. Most definitely something to look forward to in the new year.  Good luck, Harry.

 

•  And wrapping up our highlights, although they are not definitive by any means, is more accomplishments by Kansas City Chiefs' quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.  It's been a rough year for him as far as getting used to a re-constructed offensive line and for unknown reasons, just a lot of "off" throws and "un-gell'ing" with his wide receivers and favorite tight end.  But things have turned around and despite these unexpected obstacles, Patrick has still managed to compile some impressive statistics for the year.  He was also just named the AFC's Offensive Player of the Month for December.  This is the fourth time he has won it; he's won the award in 2018, 2019, 2020 and now 2021.  In other words, these are the four years he's been a starter.  He's also the only quarterback at that position to win the award for the past four seasons.   Also, during this past Sunday's home game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, Patrick broke the record for most touchdowns by a quarterback, at Arrowhead Stadium.

After last season's Super Bowl loss, the league watched the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the way that they defeated the Chiefs.  The teams have adapted and learned how to defend against their highly potent offense, but kudos to Coach Reid and his staff for figuring out how to counteract this.  And kudos to Patrick on evolving the way he has this season.  

And this, despite having so many off-the-field distractions to deal with from his family and Brittany Matthews.  So many photo ops and manufactured stories, no doubt pressures from his lawyer, marketing team, and endorsement companies, not to mention the high expectations from a rabid city and fan base.  As Travis told a national audience after Sunday's game, Patrick does have the world on his shoulders.  Narnia recognizes and acknowledges this - the NFL is on a whole different level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each of these individuals this year had to overcome a challenge or challenges of some sort this past 2021: mental/psychological abuse, sexual harassment, professional pressures to conform to a particular image, and other various mistreatment unbeknownst to most of the general public.  

Here's to a healthy, safe and hopefully "better" 2022 for all, and ALL of Narnia's favored entertainers and athletes.  😊

For all of us, we wish the same.  Hang in there and just take life a day at a time.   

our pic sources:  besthqwallpapers, Chicago Sun Times, KSHB, Melissa Fudge

                           Photography via twitter, popmuzik, liam93productions, pinkvilla,

                           aliensyndrome

our playlist:  Happy New Year - ABBA

                     Auld Lang Syne - Bobby Darin

                     Raise Your Glass - Pink

                     What're You Doing New Year's Eve - Ella Fitzgerald

                     Welcome to the Future - Brad Paisley